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Nigerian president Tinubu under pressure to avoid war with northern neighbor Niger

By Camille Malpat with Aminu Abubakar in Kano, Nigeria: Political leaders in Nigeria are urging President Bola Tinubu to reconsider a threatened military intervention against junta leaders in neighbouring Niger, ahead of a Sunday deadline to reinstate the country's...

Nigeria grapples with end of fuel subsidy

By Alexandre Martins Lopes: Nigerians are struggling with surging fuel prices after newly elected President Bola Tinubu declared an end to popular subsidies, a move analysts and experts said was long overdue. On his first day in office, Tinubu kept to his campaign...

Nigeria: Bandits raid six villages in north, kill 30 civilians

Armed men killed 30 people in weekend raids on six villages in Nigeria's north, a region regularly hit by criminal violence and clashes between communities, local police have said. The bloodshed is the latest outbreak of inter-communal violence which the country's...

Nigeria: ISWAP ambushes army unit, kills several soldiers

Several Nigerian soldiers died in an attack on a military convoy in the Lake Chad region by jihadist fighters aligned with the Islamic State group, security forces said Tuesday. The convoy was hit by militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)...

Nigeria: Cash-strapped Boko Haram kidnaps herders for ransom

Boko Haram jihadists have kidnapped 30 ethnic Fulani herders near northeast Nigeria's Lake Chad, demanding ransom for their release, fishermen and the head of an anti-jihadist militia told AFP Tuesday. The militants in eight boats stormed the fishing and herding...

Nigerian airline Air Peace announces major cuts to cope with impact of virus on business

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Posted On 4 August 2020

Lagos, Aug 4, 2020 – Nigeria’s largest airline Air Peace said Tuesday it had laid off a number of pilots and cut salaries in order to cope with the impact of the coronavirus on its operations. The private carrier did not disclose the number of pilots affected, but industry sources put the figure at around 70. Air Peace serves cities in Nigeria as well as elsewhere in West Africa and in the Middle East. The group said it had “taken a very painful but rightful decision… to terminate the employment of some of its pilots” due to “the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial health.”

“This decision was taken for the greater good of the company and its almost 3000 workforce,” including the affected pilots, it said in a statement. “Anything short of what we have done may lead to the collapse of an airline as could be seen in some places worldwide during this period. Therefore, we decided to review the salaries being paid to all staff.” Many other airlines in other parts of the world have taken similar measures to stay afloat.

Global businesses have been hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic since its outbreak late last year. Nigeria recently eased the lockdowns on businesses and economic activities, but most have yet to fully recover. The virus has infected over 44,000 and killed 896 people in Nigeria since the first case in February.

AFP

Nigerian army drone hits village in Kaduna State, kills civilians

By Aminu Abubakar with Laurie Churchman in Abuja: An army drone strike accidentally hit a village in northwestern Nigeria killing dozens of civilians celebrating a Muslim festival, local authorities, the military and residents said on Monday. Nigeria's armed forces...

Nigeria’s election runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, files appeal over election challenge

The runner-up in Nigeria's presidential election in February on Tuesday filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling rejecting a challenge to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's election victory. Opposition parties had claimed various irregularities, from...